This may come as good to the Nigerian Students, who have benn frustrated by the inresponsiveness by the Govt.
Indications emerged in Abuja on Tuesday in Abuja that the leaders of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may yield to pressure from the
public and call off the over three months old strike that has grounded academic
activities in public universities.
Tempers have already began to rise from both parents and students over the
protracted strike by the ASUU. The strike which was embarked on by the ASUU on
1st July, 2013 to press home for the implementation of the 2009 agreement with
the Federal Government has defied all possible solution.
The Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike, speaking on
Tuesday at anniversary lecture of the National Universities Commission tagged
NUC @ 50+1, marking the 50th anniversary celebration in retrospect, also
confirmed that the strike would soon be called off by the ASUU.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr.
MacJohn Nwaobiala, Wike said government was concerned and is doing all it could
to ensure the lecturers return to classrooms.
Based on the fresh agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU, the
leadership of ASUU was supposed to brief its members at meeting after the
Eid-el-kabir celebration.
Our close source gathered that ASUU actually met on Tuesday at an
undisclosed venue, raising hope that they might come up with positive position.
Though as at the time of writing this report, no clear information on the
resolution of ASUU meeting was obtained.
After all the efforts by the immediate past Minister of Education, Professor
Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, joined by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief
Emeka Wogu to resolve the impasse failed, not even the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim who later took over the
mediatory role could resolve the crisis.
Now the battle ground has been shifted the ASO ROCK Presidential Villa, with
the Vice-President, Arc. Namadi Sambo as chief negotiator.
Last week the Federal Government was said to have made fresh concession to
the demands ASUU in a bid to end the strike.
Education Tribune, gathered that the negotiation with the leadership of the
Union, which has now been taken by the Vice-President Arc. Namadi Sambo, struck
a new deal last week.
In the new agreement reached with the Union, government has agreed to
increase the N30 billion already released for the payment of academic Earned
Allowance to N40 billion.
This according to sources in the meeting held with the Vice-President, Arc.
Sambo, also agreed that the N40 billion should be regarded only as first
instalment, and not a once-and-for-all payment.
The memorandum drafted at the of the meeting indicated that Government would
top it up with further releases once universities are through with the
disbursement of this new figure of N40 million.
Accordingly, Vice-Chancellors have been urged to expedite this disbursement
within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by
the Committee of Vice Chancellors to them.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim had
disclosed that some of the terms of agreement that have been met by the
government.
He said: “After series of discussions involving the National Assembly, the
SGF, the Chairman of the Needs Assessment Report Implementation Committee,
Governor Gabriel Suswam, the Ministers of Education, Labour and the Coordinating
Minister for the Economy and other stakeholders, Government has now provided N30
billion to support the University Councils in settling the Earned
Allowances”.
According to him, all other issues of Consolidated Salary Structure for
Academics in Nigerian Universities (CONUASS II, amendment of Pensionable
Retirement Age of Academics in the Professorial cadre to 70 years have been
fully implemented.
Anyim said most of the issues contained in the 2009 agreement, which
necessitated the current strike have been fully met except for the earned
allowances which ASUU pegged at N92billion. He said, “On July 2nd, 2013, ASUU
declared what it called, “total and indefinite strike” over issues it says have
remained unresolved pertaining to an agreement it reached with government in
2009
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